Cowards Part 4 (Trekker 2+/ LD 3.5)
Apr 14, 2023 19:40:37 GMT -5
Dave D-Flipz, bloodiedfox, and 2 more like this
Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Apr 14, 2023 19:40:37 GMT -5
*Camera’s flash against the glowing face of the Star Trekker. She’s gleaming with sweat and with pride as her arm is held high by a referee.*
Bonnie Jenkins: YOUR 2023 RUMBLE WINNER…..AND NEEEEW X*CROWN CHAMPION! ……..THE STAR TREKKER!!!!!!!
*The fans cheer, flash bulbs go wild. This is it; this is the greatest moment in her life, even better than being chosen to be the corporate representative of a product she actually loves. And as she takes it all in, all the work it took to get here, all the jibes from just Cross Recoba, and all the men she had to toss she speaks out to the masses.*
Trekker: Computer, end program.
*And suddenly it all fades away. No stadium, no fans, no ring, no rumble. Just a sweaty woman standing in a black room with yellow intersecting lines breaking though the darkness. She is standing in a holodeck.*
*The Star Trekker is sitting down on a bench in the otherwise barren holodeck. She wipes the sweat off of her face with a towel and thinks about the experience she just simulated. Her voice comes over the scene, though as narration, not live.*
“Chief Wrestler’s log, stardate….uh….I forgot my watch. I’ve been training hard for this upcoming Rumble match. Although my primary reason for doing so is to make a better impression than any other members of the streaming wars by actually participating and then doing well along with it I find myself….torn.”
*As she does voiceover, the live version of Trekker gets up from the bench and starts to work on some moves. Dodges, rolls, the occasional elbow strike.*
“The longer I spend on this mission, the harder it is to remain objective and focused on my task. Quite honestly, I find myself wanting to win. Maybe it is the influence of the crew I have allied myself with, but I want to win and I want to expend any method I can to do so.”
*We can see Trekker practicing “The Riker Maneuver” a variation of a roundhouse kick. If she was to use this effectively it could be useful in knocking opponents out of the ring.*
“Surprisingly despite being new to things, I’ve largely been able to escape the stigma of being inexperienced. Though that might be more that many of the people in this Rumble match consider me a non-entity. They see me as just another body that’s going to get tossed out within moments of entering. What they don’t realize though is that despite being here for less than a year I’ve already been in multiple battle royals.”
*She weaves and bobs through imaginary foes, practiced strikes at ghosts in her mind.*
“People are weird like that. They only see what they want to see. Like the people who talk about how Enterprise messed up continuity with the Star Trek universe by having Ferengi appear at all. They’re supposed to only have come into play during the first season of The Next Generation- but it wasn’t Enterprise that messed things up. Just a few episodes after that we find out that Picard had dealt with Ferengi in the past- and even later on Deep Space Nine we find out that literally the entire universe knows about them because they’re everywhere. Enterprise didn’t mess anything up. And I’m not invisible.”
*As the voiceover speaks, a ring reappears in the holodeck as Trekker starts to run the ropes.*
“People are ignorant sometimes. It comes through especially when somebody tries to assert their opinion of another without actually knowing them. And people make assumptions about me- well the ones who talk. I hear things like comparisons to the ill-fated Tasha Yar, which is sort of messed up since she died and came from a planet of…well I’d rather not talk about her background, go watch TNG’s first season on Paramount+ if you want. Maybe if they did they’d be less flippant with her character.”
Bodies start to appear in the ring. Legally distinguishable from the actual Rumble competitors, but clearly homages.*
“But people, ignorant people, usually don’t like things they don’t understand. It’s like the current cowards who make excuses not to watch the new seasons of Star Trek- on Paramount+- under the excuse that it’s ‘too woke.’”
*Not-Jesse Jamester ends up on the receiving end of some strong kicks and punches. Not-EVK tries to sneak up on Trekker but is flipped over her back.*
“Nevermind that Star Trek has always been breaking barriers. A passionate interracial kiss on the Original Series and calling out the stupidity of judging people by skin color through having two people who were both black and white just on different sides of their faces locked in an eternal and futile struggler on that very same series. Did you know that on the Animate Series they had basically Satan make friends with space puritans? Star Trek did that. Even on the beloved Next Generation we got to see a man in a very short skirt, the healing of old wounds between enemies as the Cardassians made peace with the Federation, and mental health seen as one of the most important aspects of a working crew.”
*Trekker lands a lucky kick on not-Bloodied Fox, ending his dreams of winning a Rumble. She picks up a squirming not-Tinto, who tries to claw her eyes out, but is able to get some help from not-Pepsiman.*
“But respect where it is due. There are some people in this match, like Death Trap- and even Lord Dominicus- who’ve done this for years. Decades. And here they are, back in the ring once again to prove that they’ve still got it. They’re like the cast of Picard, noble old friends come back to show you a good time. The season- and series- finale is coming soon though on that, so maybe it’s time that the younger people shine. People like me, who are making their first run at the X*Crown. Discounting me because I’m new an inexperienced, that’s just ignorant, and cowardly. Discovery revived the franchise without any old actors coming back, think about that.”
*For not-Dylan Black Trekker makes sure to give extra effort. She flips around him, the two locked in a striking combat. Ultimately though she’s able to slip him off his feet, into the ropes, and pushes him out.*
“For those who want to laugh at me and say that I’m a nobody. They’re welcome to do so. But they’re going to be going in unprepared. It’ll be like some cheetos-infused nobody struggling to type single keys at a time trying to argue about how having a woman as captain is appalling without actually watching the product. But you see that’s how I’ll really win. While they’re not giving me the time of day, WHAM, the non-entity knocks them out of the ring.”
*Meanwhile in the ring Trekker takes a straight punch at not-Dominicus only to find that he blocks it. He blocks it and holds her fist. Meanwhile a door opens and in walks…the REAL Lord Domincius.*
LD: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GARAGE!?
*The computer-generated (and post-production added) phantoms of a ring and even the holodeck disappear to find Lord Dominicus and Trekker standing in a large room with everything covered by green tarp.*
Trekker: Uhhh….you said I could prepare for the Rumble.
*LD begins wandering around his converted garage. Patting all of the different lumps trying to figure out what each one is under the green screen.*
LD: Yes of course, but what is all of this!? Where is the DominiCruiser!?
*Listlessly, Trekker points to a corner, finally it orients LD.*
LD: Good good. Anyway…
*He gets up in her face.*
LD: We need to discuss strategy.
Trekker: Are you just going to list off everyone who didn’t join the Rumble more and run them down for being cowards?
LD: What? No, we already did that. Plus I have been doing that all week anyway so it’s been worked out of my system. No now we need to discuss actual in-ring strategy. Now with thirtyish people in this match we have an advantage.
Trekker: We do?
LD: Yes. Because unlike in previous Rumbles we’re not seeing known tag teams like the Trons, or Dos Angeles, or Chaos Theory-
Trekker: You’re listing off people not in the Rumble again.
LD: Old habit- ANYWAY, the point is, there aren’t any actual teammates in the Rumble this year.
Trekker: Well except for Cheez’ family, the Tilted Cartridges +1 and the Super Frenemies.
*There’s a pause.*
LD: I don’t know who any of those people are. ANYWAY, the lower numbers also means there’s a higher chance that you and I will be able to work together.
Trekker: Wait, you want to actually work with me?
LD: Yes, until I ultimately stab you in the back.
Trekker: What?
LD: Evil friendships- the staple of Rumbles. Did you not watch the previous ones like I told you to?
Trekker: You always get eliminated within seconds.
LD: …
*Beat.*
LD: I’m glaring at you right now.
Trekker: But clearly I have been preparing.
LD: …True. So how about it then, evil partnership?
*Dominicus sticks his hand out. Trekker stops, because this is a line she hadn’t consider crossing. She thinks.*
“To complete my mission… I’ll lie. I’ll cheat. I’ll work to cover the shady moves of others. I will be an accessory to dirty strategies. But the most damning thing of all… I think I can live with it. And if I have to do it over again and over again, I will. Garak on Deep Space Nine was right about one thing, a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the success of what you believe in. So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it… Computer, erase that entire personal log.”
*The Star Trekker shakes hands with Lord Domincus as we fade out.*
Bonnie Jenkins: YOUR 2023 RUMBLE WINNER…..AND NEEEEW X*CROWN CHAMPION! ……..THE STAR TREKKER!!!!!!!
*The fans cheer, flash bulbs go wild. This is it; this is the greatest moment in her life, even better than being chosen to be the corporate representative of a product she actually loves. And as she takes it all in, all the work it took to get here, all the jibes from just Cross Recoba, and all the men she had to toss she speaks out to the masses.*
Trekker: Computer, end program.
*And suddenly it all fades away. No stadium, no fans, no ring, no rumble. Just a sweaty woman standing in a black room with yellow intersecting lines breaking though the darkness. She is standing in a holodeck.*
*The Star Trekker is sitting down on a bench in the otherwise barren holodeck. She wipes the sweat off of her face with a towel and thinks about the experience she just simulated. Her voice comes over the scene, though as narration, not live.*
“Chief Wrestler’s log, stardate….uh….I forgot my watch. I’ve been training hard for this upcoming Rumble match. Although my primary reason for doing so is to make a better impression than any other members of the streaming wars by actually participating and then doing well along with it I find myself….torn.”
*As she does voiceover, the live version of Trekker gets up from the bench and starts to work on some moves. Dodges, rolls, the occasional elbow strike.*
“The longer I spend on this mission, the harder it is to remain objective and focused on my task. Quite honestly, I find myself wanting to win. Maybe it is the influence of the crew I have allied myself with, but I want to win and I want to expend any method I can to do so.”
*We can see Trekker practicing “The Riker Maneuver” a variation of a roundhouse kick. If she was to use this effectively it could be useful in knocking opponents out of the ring.*
“Surprisingly despite being new to things, I’ve largely been able to escape the stigma of being inexperienced. Though that might be more that many of the people in this Rumble match consider me a non-entity. They see me as just another body that’s going to get tossed out within moments of entering. What they don’t realize though is that despite being here for less than a year I’ve already been in multiple battle royals.”
*She weaves and bobs through imaginary foes, practiced strikes at ghosts in her mind.*
“People are weird like that. They only see what they want to see. Like the people who talk about how Enterprise messed up continuity with the Star Trek universe by having Ferengi appear at all. They’re supposed to only have come into play during the first season of The Next Generation- but it wasn’t Enterprise that messed things up. Just a few episodes after that we find out that Picard had dealt with Ferengi in the past- and even later on Deep Space Nine we find out that literally the entire universe knows about them because they’re everywhere. Enterprise didn’t mess anything up. And I’m not invisible.”
*As the voiceover speaks, a ring reappears in the holodeck as Trekker starts to run the ropes.*
“People are ignorant sometimes. It comes through especially when somebody tries to assert their opinion of another without actually knowing them. And people make assumptions about me- well the ones who talk. I hear things like comparisons to the ill-fated Tasha Yar, which is sort of messed up since she died and came from a planet of…well I’d rather not talk about her background, go watch TNG’s first season on Paramount+ if you want. Maybe if they did they’d be less flippant with her character.”
Bodies start to appear in the ring. Legally distinguishable from the actual Rumble competitors, but clearly homages.*
“But people, ignorant people, usually don’t like things they don’t understand. It’s like the current cowards who make excuses not to watch the new seasons of Star Trek- on Paramount+- under the excuse that it’s ‘too woke.’”
*Not-Jesse Jamester ends up on the receiving end of some strong kicks and punches. Not-EVK tries to sneak up on Trekker but is flipped over her back.*
“Nevermind that Star Trek has always been breaking barriers. A passionate interracial kiss on the Original Series and calling out the stupidity of judging people by skin color through having two people who were both black and white just on different sides of their faces locked in an eternal and futile struggler on that very same series. Did you know that on the Animate Series they had basically Satan make friends with space puritans? Star Trek did that. Even on the beloved Next Generation we got to see a man in a very short skirt, the healing of old wounds between enemies as the Cardassians made peace with the Federation, and mental health seen as one of the most important aspects of a working crew.”
*Trekker lands a lucky kick on not-Bloodied Fox, ending his dreams of winning a Rumble. She picks up a squirming not-Tinto, who tries to claw her eyes out, but is able to get some help from not-Pepsiman.*
“But respect where it is due. There are some people in this match, like Death Trap- and even Lord Dominicus- who’ve done this for years. Decades. And here they are, back in the ring once again to prove that they’ve still got it. They’re like the cast of Picard, noble old friends come back to show you a good time. The season- and series- finale is coming soon though on that, so maybe it’s time that the younger people shine. People like me, who are making their first run at the X*Crown. Discounting me because I’m new an inexperienced, that’s just ignorant, and cowardly. Discovery revived the franchise without any old actors coming back, think about that.”
*For not-Dylan Black Trekker makes sure to give extra effort. She flips around him, the two locked in a striking combat. Ultimately though she’s able to slip him off his feet, into the ropes, and pushes him out.*
“For those who want to laugh at me and say that I’m a nobody. They’re welcome to do so. But they’re going to be going in unprepared. It’ll be like some cheetos-infused nobody struggling to type single keys at a time trying to argue about how having a woman as captain is appalling without actually watching the product. But you see that’s how I’ll really win. While they’re not giving me the time of day, WHAM, the non-entity knocks them out of the ring.”
*Meanwhile in the ring Trekker takes a straight punch at not-Dominicus only to find that he blocks it. He blocks it and holds her fist. Meanwhile a door opens and in walks…the REAL Lord Domincius.*
LD: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GARAGE!?
*The computer-generated (and post-production added) phantoms of a ring and even the holodeck disappear to find Lord Dominicus and Trekker standing in a large room with everything covered by green tarp.*
Trekker: Uhhh….you said I could prepare for the Rumble.
*LD begins wandering around his converted garage. Patting all of the different lumps trying to figure out what each one is under the green screen.*
LD: Yes of course, but what is all of this!? Where is the DominiCruiser!?
*Listlessly, Trekker points to a corner, finally it orients LD.*
LD: Good good. Anyway…
*He gets up in her face.*
LD: We need to discuss strategy.
Trekker: Are you just going to list off everyone who didn’t join the Rumble more and run them down for being cowards?
LD: What? No, we already did that. Plus I have been doing that all week anyway so it’s been worked out of my system. No now we need to discuss actual in-ring strategy. Now with thirtyish people in this match we have an advantage.
Trekker: We do?
LD: Yes. Because unlike in previous Rumbles we’re not seeing known tag teams like the Trons, or Dos Angeles, or Chaos Theory-
Trekker: You’re listing off people not in the Rumble again.
LD: Old habit- ANYWAY, the point is, there aren’t any actual teammates in the Rumble this year.
Trekker: Well except for Cheez’ family, the Tilted Cartridges +1 and the Super Frenemies.
*There’s a pause.*
LD: I don’t know who any of those people are. ANYWAY, the lower numbers also means there’s a higher chance that you and I will be able to work together.
Trekker: Wait, you want to actually work with me?
LD: Yes, until I ultimately stab you in the back.
Trekker: What?
LD: Evil friendships- the staple of Rumbles. Did you not watch the previous ones like I told you to?
Trekker: You always get eliminated within seconds.
LD: …
*Beat.*
LD: I’m glaring at you right now.
Trekker: But clearly I have been preparing.
LD: …True. So how about it then, evil partnership?
*Dominicus sticks his hand out. Trekker stops, because this is a line she hadn’t consider crossing. She thinks.*
“To complete my mission… I’ll lie. I’ll cheat. I’ll work to cover the shady moves of others. I will be an accessory to dirty strategies. But the most damning thing of all… I think I can live with it. And if I have to do it over again and over again, I will. Garak on Deep Space Nine was right about one thing, a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the success of what you believe in. So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it… Computer, erase that entire personal log.”
*The Star Trekker shakes hands with Lord Domincus as we fade out.*
